“Marketing is about storytelling.” Or so they say.
But if we’re honest, “storytelling” in marketing often boils down to a clever line or two of copy on a landing page, and nothing more.
The unfortunate fact is that, while many marketers are great at their jobs, few understand what good storytelling really means, or how to use it to sell things.
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So why don’t we turn to the real storytellers for help?
Enter Brandon Sanderson.
He’s one of the best-selling fantasy authors alive, recently raised $41M on Kickstarter for a handful of his books, and knows a thing or two about both marketing and telling stories.
Brandon has a rule for writing magic systems in stories
“Your ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.”
Now swap “magic” with “your product”
“Your ability to solve conflict with your product is directly proportional to how well the reader understands your product.”
See it? The principle is the same in both fantasy storytelling and marketing.
Your customer needs to understand why, and how, your product is able to solve the problem they’re having. Otherwise, it won’t click, and you won’t sell.
What to do now
Take this principle and comb through your website, ads, emails… Anything you can get your hands on.
Does your copy show enough examples of your product at work?
Does it include enough stories about problems solved and lives changed?
Ask yourself if your reader understands your product well enough to know why they should buy it.
Chances are there are more than a few ways you can tell more stories about your product.
